Baby Girl
by STEVERANDLE'STWIN
Summary: Darry volunteers at Cornerstone Orphanage and a 2 year old little girl named Bella gets attached to him the moment he walks in. He turns into a father figure for her since her parents wanted nothing to do with her. He soon decides to bring Bella into the family. A few weeks before he goes to sign the adoption papers, tragedy strikes.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S.E. Hinton. I only own this idea and the characters Tristian and Bella.

"Darry! There's somebody at the door for you!", called out Sodapop from his position at the table with Steve. "Did you get a name?", called back Darry as he pulled a shirt on over his head and smoothed it out. "Ponyboy, did you get a name?", asked Soda as he looked over his shoulder. "No!", called back Ponyboy from his bedroom where he had his nose buried in a book. "What is this, a phone line?", muttered the oldest Curtis to himself as he walked out of his room and across the kitchen. "Look out, Dar.", said Two-Bit from the floor where he was watching Mickey. Darry gave him a confused look and then glanced at the floor, he carefully stepped over a beer bottle only to step on the second one, landing on his butt on the floor. He could heard Steve and Soda laughing from the kitchen and saw Two-Bit trying to hold back his own laughter. "Clean it up.", he ordered as he stood up and brushed off his jeans before walking over to the front door.

Darry opened the front door and took a step back when a little girl came running into the house and wrapped her little arms around his legs. "Dadda!", called out Bella as she grinned up at the man. At that word the entire house fell silent, even Ponyboy stopped reading his book. "We really need to get her to stop doing that. Good morning to you, too, Bella.", said Darry as he scooped up the little girl and brushed brown curls out of her brown eyes. Bella giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to the point of choking him. "It's not my fault, Darrel. You're basically the father figure in her life, she's going to call you Dadda.", explained Tristian as he walked into the house and shut the door behind himself. "Somebody fill me in here. Since when did you have a kid, Dar?", asked Sodapop as he put down his cards and walked into the living room. "Darry has a kid?", asked Ponyboy as he practically ran out of his room, only to trip over the bottom frame of the door.

"Good going slick.", said Two-Bit as he moved from the floor to the couch. "Calm down, guys, don't scare Bella. Tristian, make yourself at home.", said Darry as he bounced the little girl on his hip, being rewarded by giggling and clapping from her. "Explain.", said Steve as he leaned against the wall, watching as Tristian sat down on the arm of the chair. "Bella is one of the children at the Cornerstone Orphanage that Darrel volunteers at. The moment she saw him she latched onto him and hasn't let go since, its been the same for him too.", explained Tristian as he reached into his pocket and took out Bella's pacifier, handing it to the oldest Curtis. "I walked in the front door of Cornerstone and Bella was screaming from across the room, she was handed to me and once I started bouncing her she stopped crying. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her so I'm guessing I kinda took over as the father figure. She latched onto me and would scream if I made a move to put her down. She dang near choked me with the chain around my neck when I handed her to Tristian to get her bottle ready.", explained Darry as he rocked Bella in his arms and rubbed her back gently and slowly.

"Since when do you volunteer at an Orphanage?", asked Two-Bit as he picked up the remaining beer bottles off of the floor and threw them into the trash. "I've been volunteering there for the past month or so. There are so many kids there that need homes and loving families.", explained Darry as he looked down at the sleeping bundle in his arms. "She's cute, Dar.", said Ponyboy as he walked over to get a better look at the little girl. "She has your brown hair and eyes. Are you sure that she's not yours?", teased Sodapop as he clapped his older brother on the back. "I'm positive that she's not mine.", said Darry as Tristian gently took a sleeping Bella back into his arms. "Go finish getting ready for work, she'll be there when you get off.", said Tristian. Bella woke up the moment she was taken from the man's arms and her bottom lip started to quiver as tears formed in her sparkling eyes. "Um. Darry. She's two seconds away from screaming.", said Steve as he backed away from the little girl as though she was about to blow up.

Apparently 'screaming' was the trigger word for her since she let out the most blood curling, glass shattering scream. All the guys were covering their ears and Two-Bit was trying to cover his ears with the pillows from the couch. "I'm coming. I'm coming.", said Darry as he walked back into the room and gently took Bella from Tristian's arms. "I think you're calling off and spending the day at the Orphanage if she's going to be like this again.", muttered Tristian as he rubbed his face with his hand and looked up at the older man. "I can't afford to take the day off, Trist. Shhhhhh, Bells, I got ya'. There's no need to be crying.", cooed Darry as he began to bounce the little girl and gave her stomach a gentle tickle. Bella's crying soon turned into hiccups which then turned into giggles when he tickled her again, she then grabbed a handful of the chain necklace around his neck and pulled it from the back. "Choking. Choking.", said Darry as he tried to reach back and grab the chain from her little hand, only to have her grab it with the other hand and pull.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own the Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S. . I only own this idea.

"Will you come back here, Bell?", asked Darry as he chased the naked and wet 2 year old around the kitchen. "Plays!", squealed Bella as she continued to run around the kitchen, her wet feet slipping around on the floor. "No, bath time.", he said as he almost reached her under the table, only to have her quickly crawl away from him. He chased her into the living room, around the couch, and then back into the kitchen where she slipped on the wet floor and landed on her butt. "Boom!", giggled the little girl as she bounced again. "Did you go 'boom'?", asked Darry as he picked her up and rested her on his hip. "Boom!", giggled Bella as she bounced slightly on his hip. "Let's get you scrubbed up then you can play.", said Darry as he carried the little girl back into the bathroom and gently placed her back into the warm water of the tub.

He gently washed off her body with a lavander scented soap and rinsed her clean, smiling when she squealed when he gave her belly a tickle. Bella slapped her tiny hands down on the water, squealing again when she found a new way to play. "Spash!", said Bella as she did it again, soaking Darry in droplets of soapy water. "Um, Darry. I think she's supposed to be getting the bath, not you.", teased Sodapop as he walked past the bathroom with a grin on his face. "Very funny, Sodapop. She's happy doing that and I'm not going to stop her.", replied the oldest Curtis as he was once again splashed by more droplets of water. "Spash!", said Bella with a huge smile on her face, her only two bottom teeth showing. "All done.", said Darry as he picked up a fluffy white towel before he picked up Bella and gently wrapped her in the towel, using his foot to slide down the notch to drain the tub.

"Hey, Dar, you're soaked. Hey Bells.", said Ponyboy as he walked past them with a book in his hands. "Hey, Pony.", replied Darry as he carried the little girl back to his room and gently layed her down on the bed so he could pick up the bag that held her clothes. "How was work, Sodapop?", asked the taller of the brothers as he gently dried her off. "Work was work. Steve got his foot ran over by a Soc's mustang. That car didn't get too far afterwards.", explained Sodapop as he kicked off his sneakers. "Kinda hard with only two tires and no spark plugs.", added in Steve as he came walking in through the front door. "Are you okay, Steve? No broken bones?", asked Darry as he dried off Bella. "I'm fine, quit your worrying.", replied Steve with an annoyed look on his face, but he was smiling as he looked back the hallway at him. A low 'thud' was heard from the kitchen soon followed by Sodapop's laugh and Ponyboy's curse.

"What just happened, Pone?", asked Darry before he blew a raspberry on Bella's bare stomach. "I slipped on the floor. Why is it wet?", asked Ponyboy as he got up off of the floor and shifted his now sore elbow. "We have an escape artist.", replied the oldest brother as he gently slid a Huggies diaper onto Bella before he dressed her in a yellow sun dress. "How many times?", asked Pony with laughter in his voice. "3. You turn around for two second and she's out of the tub and across the floor.", replied Darry with a laugh of his own as he helped her off of the bed and onto her feet, before she took off across the floor, down the hall, and into the kitchen. "Incoming!", called out Darry as he closed the bag and carried it out of his room, placing it on the couch. "We see her coming, and now Two-Bit has her. They both found Mickey.", said Sodapop as he took out the chocolate cake from the ice box. "Keep an eye on her, Two-Bit. Tristian should be here shortly to pick her up.", explained Darry as he walked into the kitchen and dried up all the water with the towel, before he hung it up in the bathroom.

"Is she going to cry again?", asked Steve with wide eyes as he glanced down at the 2 year old. "More than likely, but I hope not. We do need to talk though, guys. About something pretty serious.", said the oldest brother as he took Bella's now clean clothes out of the dryer and placed them into the bag that Tristian gave to him when he dropped her off. "What about, Darry?", asked Two-Bit with a slightly rough voice since Bella jumped down onto his lap, smiling the entire time. "Well talk after Bell gets picked up.", answered Darry as he zipped the bag closed and placed the clean sippy cups back into the pockets. "Is everything okay?", asked Ponyboy with a serious look on his face. "Everything is fine.", replied his oldest brother.

The front door opened and Tristian walked in with a smile on his face, shaking out his slightly long brown hair. "Hey, man. I got Bell all cleaned back up and ready to go.", said Darry as he watched the girl in question jump back down onto Two-Bit's lap. The teen groaned and rolled over onto his side a bit, holding his breath slightly. "Heavy.", he managed out between breaths. "Oh, she's not heavy.", said Darry as he walked over and gently picked her up, holding her against his chest. "How did she get so dirty in the first place?", asked Tristian as he picked up the girl's bag and slung the strap over his shoulder. "I took Bella to the park this afternoon and she found every single mud puddle that there was to jump in. She came back here covered in mud, from head to toe.", explained Darry as he placed a kiss to the girl's head, before handing her to the other man.

"No go.", said Bella as she reached for the oldest Curtis brother, trying to get out of Tristian's arms. "You can come back tomorrow, baby girl. I promise.", said Darry as he kissed her head again and gave her a hug, feeling her tiny arms wrap around his neck. "Was she fussy?", asked Tristian as he shifted the girl in question in his arms, settling her on his hip when she released the older man. "Nope, there was no fussing today. She was an angel.", explained Darry as he followed Tristian out to his car, holding the door open as he buckled her into the carseat. "I'll see if I can bring her back tomorrow, if not, you're coming down.", said Tristian as he poked him in the chest, before shutting the door. "I'll be there after work.", replied Darry as he stepped back so the other man could get behind the wheel and shut the door, before starting up the car. Tristian waved at him before he drove off down the road, Darry turned around and walked back into the house, meeting 4 teens with curious looks on their faces.

"You're good with her, Dar.", complimented Ponyboy as he walked over to his brother. "I had some experience with you two.", said Darry as he ruffled his little brother's hair, having his hand swatted away by him. "So, spit it out. What did you want to talk to us about?", asked Sodapop as he sat down at the table beside Two-Bit. "Is it bad?", asked Steve as he sat down beside Steve. "No, it's not bad.", replied Darry as he leaned against the wall in the doorway of the kitchen. "Then what is it?", asked Two-Bit. "Talk.", ordered Ponyboy as he playfully poked him in the side with his finger, knowing where he was ticklish. "Okay. Okay. I've been thinking about adopting Bella, making her a part of our family.", explained Darry as he glanced at each of the boys in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own the Outsiders. They rightfully belong to S.E. Hinton. I only own this idea. I'm sorry the chapter is so short, I haven't had my head on straight the past couple of days. :(

The entire house fell silent with just that one question lingering in the air. "You want to adopt Bella?", asked Sodapop as he looked up at his older brother. "That's the plan, Sodapop. I just need to know what you guys think first.", replied Darry as he looked at each of them anxiously. "When can you sign the papers?", asked Sodapop as he looked up at him in excitement. "Can you do it today?", asked Ponyboy as he looked up at his oldest brother. "The people who run the Orphanage have to gather all of the paperwork first and that could take a couple days or even weeks. Steve? Two-Bit? Anything you want to say?", asked Darry as he looked over at the pair, who were grinning at him like idiots. "When can we babysit?", asked Two-Bit with a smile on his face. "If I ever let you babysit, Two-Bit, either Ponyboy or Sodapop will have to be with you.", explained the oldest Curtis with a grin of his own. "You're no fun.", said Steve playfully from his position at the table.

Darry stuck his tongue out at the smaller Greaser and smiled when Ponyboy burst into a fit of laughter. "You think that's funny, huh?", asked the oldest Curtis as he picked up his youngest brother and tickled his sides. Ponyboy only managed a few breaths before he began to laugh even harder than before. "O-Okay. Okay. I give. I give.", stuttered out Ponyboy as he gasped for breath. Darry set his younger brother back down onto his feet with a smile, hearing him panting as he regained his breath. "Time for revenge.", said Sodapop with a grin of his own as he looked over at his younger brother. Ponyboy nodded and grinned at his blonde brother, in the blink of an eye he reached over and turned the water on, using the spray nozzle to drench his oldest brother in freezing cold water. Darry spit out a mouthful of water and shook out his now soaked hair. "You're screwed.", said the oldest Curtis brother as he looked over at his younger brothers. "Run!", screamed Ponyboy and Sodapop as they tore out of the back door. "5. 4. 3. 2. 1.", muttered Darry before he took off after them, hearing Two-Bit and Steve cheering them all on.

"Curtis, get off the roof! You've got a phone call! It's about your little girl!", called out Trevor from on the ground. "She isn't my little girl, Trev!", called back Darry as he climbed down the latter, playfully chucking his shirt at the man. "She'll be yours in no time.", promised Trevor as he handed the phone over to the other man, with the chord stretched tight. "I sure hope so, man. I hope so.", replied Darry as he walked into the building and followed the chord back into one of the offices.

"_Hello?" _

"_**Darrel? That you, or is this Trevor?" **_

"_It's me, Tristian. Whats going on?" _

"_**Are you sitting down? Cause I dont exactly have good news." **_

"_Spit it out, Tristian." _

"_**Bella's sick, she got a cold over night. One of the windows in her room was cracked open. What we thought was a cold turned into pneumonia." **_

"_Oh good God. Did you take her to the doctor? Is she okay? How's she doing?" _

"_**Darry, calm down. We have her at the hospital right now, the Doctors are doing everything that they can with her." **_

"_I'll be there in a few minutes. Anything else?" _

"_**A second family has taken an interest in Bella. A couple from out in California. They have two sons already and a two story house with a 2 acre backyard." **_

"_I'm guessing Cornerstone is allowing that family to have Bella?" _

"_It's still undecided. They want to hear both sides to this case. Yours and the family's from California. Only then will it be decided who gets custody of Bella." _

"_**I'll see you in a few minutes." ** _


End file.
